China questions Boeing's 'silence' over missing plane

China today questioned Boeing's "silence" over a missing Malaysian plane with 239 people aboard and criticised the aviation major for delaying the information transmitted by the engines of the aircraft that has led to diverting search operations to new areas.

"After almost a week, there is some evidence to indicate that flight MH370 may have flown westward for a few hours after it disappeared from radar scenes. Signals automatically and instantaneously transmitted via satellite back to ground control took a week to reach the public," a commentary by state-run Xinhua news agency said.

"Why is the silence on the missing flight being kept so long?," it asked, pointing out to the "vain" search by Chinese and Vietnamese vessels in the South China Sea.

"In an age when many are fed up with the scandal of technologically superior companies randomly collecting client information through designated 'back doors' to utilise big data for business or national security concerns, has Boeing not yet developed an all-weather real-time monitoring network for its global assets, for whatever purpose?" the commentary asked.

"With no deep throats from the industry or military, people pinned their hopes on naval vessels. Chinese and Vietnamese vessels, for example, combed the sea area again and again, while some already knew for sure that search and rescue missions would be in vain," it said.

"More unauthorised deep throats are encouraged to leak information which authorities remain silent on, for whatever reasons," it said, apparently referring to the leaks about the plane changing course and flying towards the Andaman Sea.

Waiting in desperation, a cancer patient in China died without knowing the whereabouts of his child on board, alive or dead, it said.